The Fox Pub

Public houses (pubs) were a staple of British community life. They were more than drinking places — they were where people gathered to hear local news, check in on friends, share a meal, and stay connected. American servicemen spent many hours in the pubs around the airfield, enjoying the hospitality and the sense of belonging they offered.

The Fox Pub was probably the closest and one of the most popular pubs for the Americans. It was so well‑loved that a B‑17 was named after it. “The Fox” B‑17 carried nose art depicting a fox holding a jug of beer. Assigned four days after D‑Day in June 1944, it failed to return from a mission to Czechoslovakia on 14 February 1945 — though its crew survived.

The Fox pub itself nearly didn’t. A fire gutted the building sometime in 1958, after which it was rebuilt and later converted into a private dwelling. Its owners say that Americans still visit today and occasionally ask for bricks to take back to the United States.